The European Parliament is set to vote on a resolution on November 12 that formally labels actions committed by Russia in Ukraine as “genocide,” Il Fatto Quotidiano reported. The motion, backed by a wide coalition of political groups, focuses specifically on the forced transfer of Ukrainian minors.
The text cites the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, arguing that the transfer of children between groups meets the legal definition of the crime. If passed, the resolution will invite all European Union member states to adopt this official recognition.
The resolution carries the signatures of several major political groupings, including the European People’s Party, which includes Italy’s Forza Italia, and the Socialists and Democrats, which includes the Italian Democratic Party (PD).
The Greens, Renew—including the Italian party Azione—and the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), featuring Fratelli d’Italia, are also among the sponsors.
Despite this broad backing, the final outcome remains uncertain. Political observers do not rule out individual defections from these groups when the plenary session begins.
The move has drawn sharp criticism from the Five Star Movement, which accused the European Parliament of hypocrisy regarding its stance on international conflicts. Danilo Della Valle, a member of the European Parliament, pointed to the ongoing crisis in Gaza, noting that the EU has not applied the same terminology to the death toll there.
“For years they told us that a slaughter of over 60,000 Palestinians could not be defined as genocide, and today they use Ukrainian children who are victims of this conflict to speak of Russian genocide,” Della Valle told Il Fatto Quotidiano.
He argued that if the EU had implemented even a fraction of the sanctions used against Russia to address crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, the regional situation would be different.
Beyond the genocide label, the resolution includes a provision that reiterates full support for the International Criminal Court. This section backs global efforts to prosecute those responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression in Ukraine. The vote follows recent diplomatic signals from Abu Dhabi, where some observers had identified early signs of potential negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
What specific actions by Russia does the resolution classify as genocide?
The resolution focuses on the forced transfer of Ukrainian minors, which it identifies as an act intended to destroy a national or ethnic group, consistent with the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
Which political groups are sponsoring the resolution?
The text is signed by the European People’s Party, Socialists and Democrats, the Greens, Renew, and the ECR.
How has the Five Star Movement responded to the proposed resolution?
The party has criticized the resolution as an example of double standards, arguing that the EU has failed to apply the same genocide classification to the conflict in Gaza despite high casualty numbers.
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